Zip line course opens this weekend at Jefferson Memorial Forest

Zip line through Jefferson Memorial Forest. | Courtesy of Go Ape!

For the second year now, brave Louisvillians can traverse the 6,500 acres of Jefferson Memorial Forest by zip line, rope bridges and Tarzan swings as the Go Ape! Adventure Course opens Saturday, March 19. Developed through a partnership with Louisville Metro Parks, the course is one of 14 the national company operates throughout the country.

The Go Ape! mantra is to encourage everyone to live life adventurously, and each of their courses are located in public parks to help increase tourism and awareness. Their Louisville outfit consists of numerous rope ladders, 39 rope and plank crossings, two Tarzan swings and five zip lines.

Don’t look down! | Courtesy of Go Ape!

Each session lasts around two to three hours and starts at $58. The minimum age is 10; minimum height is 4-foot-7; and the maximum weight is 285 pounds. The longest zip line at the forest is 300 feet long, and the highest you’ll climb is 40 feet up in the tree canopies.

Jefferson Memorial Forest is located at 11311 Mitchell Hill Road in Fairdale.

(For a first-hand account of a similar experience, I wrote a piece about zip lining through Red River Gorge in 2014. It’s thrilling, frightening and beautiful all at the same time.)